Accelerative effect of "nanshikon" and its constituents on the proliferation of granulation tissue in rats.

The present study was carried out to examine the accelerative effect of the ether extract obtained from "Nanshikon" on the proliferation of granulation tissue induced by cotton pellet in rats and to elucidate its active principles. Among naphthoquinone derivatives, the ether extract contained mostly teracrylshikonin. At corresponding doses based on the contents of the naphthoquinone derivatives in the ether extract, the accelerative potencies of teracrylshikonin, beta, beta-dimethylacrylshikonin, and a mixture of alpha-methyl-n-butylshikonin and isovalerylshikonin were about the same. Also, the accelerative potencies of these compounds were somewhat weaker than that of the ether extract. From these results, it is suggested that the accelerative effect of the ether extract on the proliferation of granulation tissue is mainly due to teracrylshikonin, beta, beta-dimethylacrylshikonin and a mixture of alpha-methyl-n-butylshikonin and isovalerylshikonin contained in the ether extract, and the accelerative effect induced by ether extract might be an additive effect of these naphthoquinone derivatives.